She Makes Me Blush
by Almost an Actress
Summary: Scootaloo and Apple Bloom are thrown together in many a situation. When the two develop feelings for each other, they start a shaky, unstable romance. But when a certain white filly named Sweetie Belle also gets a crush on Apple Bloom, Sweetie and Scootaloo start a bitter rivalry. Please review and follow and fave! Rated K-plus just cause it's a romance tale. Enjoy!
1. Sunsets and Flying

Chapter One- Apple Bloom in the Sunset and Scootaloo in the Clouds

The yellow Earth pony squinted into the dying sun. Its soft yellow light bathed her in its calming warmth. She was sitting under a very young apple tree and writing in her diary. Well, she had been until the sun had begun to set. The sky flashed pink and yellow. She loved this time of day. It was a pure ending.

"The sky is so pretty," she whispered into the sunset.

Nopony responded of course, but the tranquil silence was comforting. She looked up into the puffy clouds. A few stray Pegasi were pushing the orange-tinted clouds away for the night. She lay down in the grass and rested her head on her forelegs. She looked at what she'd written in her diary:

"Dear Diary,

The school dance is coming up! I'm sorta scared. Everypony will be going. WITH A DATE! Sweetie Bell and Featherweight are going together. He's pretty silly, but nice. Diamond Tiara and Rumble are going. Silver Spoon and Snips are going. Scoots and I don't have dates yet. I'm worried that we'll the only ponies without dates.

Ugh! Dating is too complicated for a filly!"

She nodded at her last sentence. "Darn right," the southern pony agreed with herself. A warm breeze blew her mane back in her face. "Woo boy," he muttered. "This'll be hard."

XXX

Scootaloo was flying among the clouds with her idol, Rainbow Dash. The sunset sure was beautiful… Not that Dash would care about sappy stuff like that, though. "Rainbow?" Scootaloo asked, breaking the silence.

"What's 'sup, squirt?" the cyan Pegasus asked.

"Well, our school is having this dance-"

"Like a little prom? Where you have to bring a date?"

"Um…"

Scootaloo blanched after she struggled that out. "Yeah. Er… colts aren't really interested in me. I dunno what to do."

"S'okay, kid," Dash grunted. "You're better off without 'em."

"I guess," Scootaloo said doubtfully. "It's just… I'd really like a date."

"Then go with your little club as friends," the blue pony suggested.

"Well, Sweetie Bell already has a date…" Scootaloo trailed off with a sigh. It was no use. She'd never get a date!

"Then go with Apple Bloom."

"WHAT?!" Scootaloo shrieked. She almost fell from the sky with shock. Luckily, Rainbow caught her in time.

"What's so shocking about that?"

"I- er… I couldn't date Apple Bloom!" Scootaloo felt her cheeks go hot.

Rainbow Dash tossed her into the air to get her flying again. "I didn't mean it that way, kid. As _friends_."

"Er… of course," Scoots muttered. "Right. Well, I'd like to go with a boy, though."

"Beggars can't be choosers."

Scootaloo blushed. _That was close. _


	2. Ballroom Dancing, UGH!

Chapter Two- Ballroom Dancing

Apple Bloom gaped. "_What're _we doin'?" the Earth pony cried. She managed to close her mouth, but it fell to the floor again.

"Ballroom dancing!" squealed Sweetie Bell. "Won't it be fun?"

"B-but," Scootaloo stammered, "you have to dance with… _boys_!"

"I know!" Sweetie Bell gushed, a dreamy look crossing her face. "And I'll get to dance with Featherweight. He's so… dreamy."

Apple Bloom mimed like she was gagging. "Ew! Girly, keep that mushy stuff 'way from us!"

Sweetie Bell looked cross for the first time since the conversation started. "I'm excited, okay?" she said.

Scootaloo looked an unhealthy shade of white. "When is it, again?" she asked. "I think I might be sick then."

"It's right after recess," Sweetie Bell grumped. "And you can't leave!"

"Who says?" Scootaloo growled.

"Please?" the white unicorn said, doing her best puppy dog eyes. "Please, please, please? I promise it'll be fun! _Please_ come!"

"Fine," Scootaloo sighed, knowing she couldn't say no to her innocent friend. "I'll go."

Apple Bloom sighed heavily. "Ah'll go… ah guess."

"Yay!" Sweetie Bell shrieked, and hugged her friends. "I love you two so much! You're the best friends ever!"

XXX

"Everypony, please find a partner," the mare instructed. Apparently the school district thought it would be "enriching" for the foals if a special ballroom dancing teacher came in. Her name was Fair Maiden. It wasn't far from the truth. Her fur was soft and snow-white. Her mane was soft lavender. Her eyes were big, kind, and brown.

Some of the foals partnered up right away. Diamond Tiara and Rumble, Silver Spoon (looking slightly disgusted) and Snips, and Sweetie Bell and Featherweight. A colt named Pipsqueak was shyly asking a filly shy filly named Sunny Daze to dance. Eventually, Everypony found a partner.

Apple Bloom was with Strike, a pony who loved bowling. It was all he talked about, and it could be quite annoying at times. Right now, he had a blush spreading across his tan hide.

Scootaloo found herself partnered with a nice pony named Lickity Split. "So…" Scootaloo muttered.

"So," Split smiled.

XXX

The young foals danced for two and half hours. Mrs. Maiden seemed less nice after that long. Most were barely moving their aching hooves, muttering, "I hate dancing." The only ponies that still looked happy were Sweetie Bell and Featherweight.

"We're done!" Mrs. Maiden snapped.

There was a general, "Oh, thank Celestia," from around the room.

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom locked eyes. What Scootaloo saw was shocking: Apple Bloom was blushing!


	3. Thoughts

Chapter Three- Thoughts

As Scootaloo walked home, she thought about Apple Bloom. It was weird. Not that they had locked eyes, as they seemed to be doing that a lot lately. But that she was blushing… Maybe it was because of Strike, the colt that Apple Bloom had been dancing with. _But that couldn't be it_, Scootaloo thought to herself. _Everypony gets annoyed with Strike, even nice old Sweetie Bell. I would be slapping him, especially after dancing with him for almost three hours. _

She finally got home and plopped down in one of the rocking chairs on the porch. Her mother, a bright purple Pegasus named Fly-By. "Hey, Scoots," she greeted her daughter. "How was school?"

"It was okay," Scootaloo muttered. "Math was pretty easy, but reading was still hard."

"Well, you've got a lesson with Mr. Bright Bulb next Tuesday. We can work on it tonight, too. Do anything interesting?"

"Well… we did a ballroom dancing lesson. It was really long and boring."

"Yikes. Did you learn anything, sweetie?"

"Yeah," Scootaloo said wryly, "how not woo a boy."

Fly-By laughed. "That's my girl." She chuckled again. "I never was very good with boys."

Scootaloo grimaced, trying not to think about how her father had abandoned them the minute she'd been born.

"Lemonade?" Fly-By smiled, offering her daughter an ice cold glass. "I just made it."

Scootaloo accepted it. "Hey, Mom?" she asked.

"Yeah?"

"Did one of your friends who was a filly ever blush when she looked at you?"

Fly-By offered a merry laugh. "Oh, yes. I was always making inappropriate jokes."

_That's not what I meant_, Scootaloo thought grumpily. With that, she went inside to work on her reading homework.


	4. Truth or Dare Turned War

Chapter Four- Truth or Dare

It was finally Friday afternoon. The cutie mark crusaders had decided to hang out. They were sitting in a secluded corner of Sweet Apple Acres, watching a river run past. Sweetie Bell and Apple Bloom found it mesmerizing. Scootaloo was bored. Finally, a wicked grin spread across her orange-furred face. "Hey," she said devilishly.

That caught Apple Bloom's attention. _Is she talking to me?_ she wondered silently. "What's up?" she asked.

"I've got an idea. Much more fun than watching a river," she scoffed. "How about…" She paused for dramatic effect. "We play truth or dare!"

"Okay!" Apple Bloom found herself agreeing immediately.

"I dunno…" Sweetie Bell muttered. "That game can get a little bit risqué."

"What are you, a dictionary?" Scootaloo snapped. "Let's play. I'll go first." Seeing how her unicorn pal was unsure of herself, Scoots decided to torture her. "Sweetie Bell. Truth or dare?"

Sweetie Bell hemmed and hawed for a while, finally mumbling, "Dare, I guess." She'd played truth or dare with Scootaloo before. When Scootaloo asked truths, they were the kind that made you blush like crazy.

"Hmm… lemme think," Scootaloo said ponderously, tapping her chin with a hoof. "I dare you to jump in the river and roll around in that pile of pine needles."

Logic was not Sweetie Bell's strong suit sometimes. She jumped into the ice cold water, rolled around in some pine needles, and then jumped up with a smirk. "No damage done," she grinned. "Just a little cold."

Apple Bloom snickered. "Oh, yeah?" she drawled. "Well, ah'd say yer wrong. Girly, that there tree is a sap gusher."

"A what?" Sweetie Bell squeaked, noticing her fur _did_ feel a bit sticky.

"A sap gusher is a tree stay sprays sap all over," Apple Bloom explained. "It does that to attract bugs. Then the lil' bugs get stuck in the sap, and they're done fer! Then the tree comes to life at night and eats up all the lil' bugs."

Sweetie Bell gave a moan. "Scootaloo!" she cried. "You knew that water would make my pelt all wt and then the sap would stick to me even more!"

Scootaloo chuckled. "There's a dead spider on your back," was all she said.

Sweetie Bell shrieked and jumped back in the river, refusing to come out even though it was freezing. "I'm not coming out 'till all of the bugs and sap are gone!" she proclaimed.

Scoots shrugged. "Suit yourself, girl. Since you did the dare, it's your turn."

Sweetie Bell, knowing Scootaloo would never back down from a dare, gave a devilish grin and said, "Truth or dare, Scootaloo?"

_Oh, crap. I'm done for!_ Scootaloo thought. She kept her face a cool, calm, and collected mask. "Dare, of course."

"I dare you to…" Sweetie Bell said ominously. She paused, realizing she couldn't think of anything. "Ooh! I know!" she cried, her voice giving its patent squeak. "I dare you to go into Carousel Boutique and let Rarity put an outfit on you."

Scootaloo's bright face blanched. "O-okay," she stammered, shivering with dread. "No problem." The three fillies galloped –and flew- to the dress shop as quickly as they could. Scootaloo suffered through the dress dare without mishap, surprisingly enough.

Before long, the game of Truth or Dare became an all-out war between Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell.

At the end of the day, Sweetie Bell was covered in maple syrup, more dead bugs, some of the sticky sap that hadn't washed off very well, golden glitter glue, mud, and briars. Her fur smelled like a mix of rotten eggs, pancakes, and sour milk. Her mane was matted and tangled. "Rarity will FREAK!" she cried. "I'll get in so much trouble! She'll make me take twenty baths! This is all your fault, Scootaloo!"

Scootaloo looked much cleaner than her unicorn friend. In fact, her fur was shining. It was the cleanest it had been in weeks. Her mane was washed and shampooed. It smelled like peaches, lemon, and lavender. Her tail was braided. It smelled like fresh-baked cookies and oranges. She had sparkly blue eye shadow on, mascara slathered over her eyelashes, eyeliner, bright pink blush, a lipstick called Plumity Peachy Pear™, which made no sense, and green apple perfume. She looked like an entirely new pony. She looked stunningly beautiful.

And she hated ever second of it.

"I'm washing all of this crap off the minute I get home!" Scootaloo roared.

As her two best friends stormed off in different directions, Apple Bloom watched helplessly. She thought Scootaloo looked heart-breakingly beautiful. For some reason, she hadn't sided with Sweetie Bell.


	5. Sorrow and Suspense

**{Sorry for the rather abrupt ending, everypony. Cliffhanger? This chapter is slightly emotional. Just a quick warning for those who cry easily. I'll be out of town for a while, and school starts again soon, so I won't update as often. Keep following "She Makes Me Blush!" Thanks for the good reviews and faves and such!} **

**- NovemberChild13 **

XXX

Apple Bloom sat dumbly in the remote section of Sweet Apple Acres with a blank expression on her face. Her two best friends had just stormed off, full of spite for each other. This had never happened before, and it freaked her out. Sure, they'd had fights and stormed off, but not like this… She gulped, her throat thick. _Ah'll talk to Granny Smith_, Apple Bloom decided. _She may be on the edge of senile, but she's got pretty good advice. _She got up and trotted into the house, letting the screen door slam. "Granny Smith!" she called. "Ah need some advice!" There was no response. "Ah need the advice real bad!" she added. There was a lengthy silence. "G-Granny?" Apple Bloom called tentatively. "Y'all here?"

She trotted into the living room to find Granny sleeping on the couch. "Uh… Granny?" Apple Bloom asked. "Ah… ah need some advice." Her grandmother didn't stir in the slightest. Apple Bloom tapped her wrinkly green pelt. It felt cold and brittle. "Granny?" Apple Bloom squeaked. She shook her hard with both hooves, screaming, "GRANNY SMITH! GRANNY SMITH!" over and over. Suddenly, the still mare rolled over and fell off the couch, landing with an echoing, empty THUMP on the wooden floor.

Apple Bloom let out a shriek.

She ran outside as fast as her little hooves would take her to the triangle and banged it. It clanged cacophonously. "MAC! AJ! BIG MACINTOSH! APPLEJACK!"

The two ponies came galloping. Applejack got there first, wrapping her sister in a hug. "What's wrong, girl? S'okay. It's alright, girly."

Apple Bloom began to sob. "GrannySmithwouldn'tanswermeandshewasonthecouch sleepingonlyshewans'tsleepingandahtriedtogethera ttentionandshewouldn'tanswerandItappedherandshedi dn'tmoveandIshookherandyelledan dshefellonthefloorand-and-and-!" Apple Bloom cried, all in a rush. "GRANNY SMITH IS DEAD!"

Big Mac sighed, letting the tears fall. He wrapped both of his sisters in a rib-crushing hug.

Applejack ran a hoof through her sister's mane, hot tears stinging at her eyes. _Oh, Granny,_ she thought. She couldn't belive Granny Smith was gone. It was didn't make sense to her. The old mare that had raised her when her parents had died so long ago. It had been five years… Apple Bloom had been seven, she had been eleven, and Big Mac had been sixteen. He was twenty-one, she was sixteen, and Apple Bloom was twelve. _Ah can't belive Apple Bloom had t' be th' one t' find her, _Applejack thought remorsefully.

The trio trotted slowly inside, staring at Granny Smith's cold body on the floor. She had a hastily scrawled note in her hoof. Big Macintosh grabbed it and began to read it slowly: _I know my time is coming. I can feel it creeping up on me like those timber wolves all those years ago. I have a few requests and things to say. First of all, I would like to divide my possessions among the three of you: Freckle Cheeks, Stoic Stallion, and Half-Pint. I'm getting closer to dying. I can feel it now. It is very, very close. I want my funeral to be held on Saturday. The weatherpony said it was supposed to be sunny. Just like I like it. I want there to be jolly dancing. Cry if you have to. But I want a true Southern hoedown! I love you all more than you could fathom. I loved your parents as well. I love_

"Cuts off there," Big Mac muttered. "She called me Stoic Stallion. She ain't called me that since I was colt."

Applejack sighed, wiping away a tear. "She called me Freckle Cheeks. Wow."

Apple Bloom let out a loud sob. "SCOOTALOO AND SWEETIE BELL HATE EACH OTHER… AND NOW THIS!" she wailed.

For now, life was the worst thing she had ever experienced.

XXX

The funeral was held on a bright and sunny Saturday, Granny Smith's favorite day of the week. The entire Apple family, from Braeburn to Apple Fritter, was there. They were dressed in cowboy boots and bonnets for the special occasion. All of Applejack's friends were there, hanging their heads sadly. The Cutie Mark Crusaders had made peace for the time being. Scootaloo was pressed up against Apple Bloom, who was leaning on her friend for support. Sweetie Belle was standing next to them, looking slightly out of place.

When the hoedown part of the funeral began, Braeburn took the microphone that the preacher had been talking into. "Howdy, everypony!" he called with a watery smile.

"HOWDY!" the crown roared back.

Braeburn winced at the noise. "Right. Well, today's a somber occasion, fer sure. But in Granny Smith's final will and testament, she clearly stated that she wanted a good ol' fashioned Old West hoedown! So what're we gonna give 'er?"

"A HOEDOWN!" the crowd practically screamed.

"Alrighty! Everypony grab a missus or a mister!"

Scootaloo turned to Apple Bloom, who had stopped leaned on her, and blushed. "Er… do you wanna dance with me, Bloom?" she asked.

"Sure," Apple Bloom answered a surprised drawl. "Ah'd love to," she added shyly.

"We're doin' a good ol' slow dance first," Braeburn instructed.

Scootaloo got up on her back legs and put and put one hoof on Apple Bloom's waist and held the other.

"That's a lil' formal, ain't it?" Apple Bloom asked, eyeing her relatives. She was wrong: most of them were dancing in the exact same style.

"Nah," Scootaloo responded hastily. "It's, uh… how Ms. Maiden taught us, yeah?"

"Guess so," Apple Bloom shrugged. Braeburn cranked up an old phonograph to play some scratchy-sounding slow songs. The two fillies danced, getting some strange looks from some of the more conservative members of the Apple Family.

Scootaloo was blushing, wondering why she had chosen to dance with her friend instead of one of the many colts from the Apple Family. Sweetie Belle was dancing with a young colt named Apple Cream, and there were two bored -looking colts next to each other. The two fillies could easily stop dancing and dance with the two bored colts, but they kept dancing with each other. When the slow song section was over, it was line dancing, square dancing, and a hoof-tapping beat called ragtime. Finally, the funeral was over.

"Wanna go fer a walk?" asked Apple Bloom, looking sad. "They're gonna go t'the Apple Family Cemetery. We'll catch up with 'em later."

"Okay," Scootaloo responded. "Are all your relatives buried there?"

"Eeeyup," Apple Bloom muttered as they walked along. "Ah… ah wanted t' thank ya fer dancin' with me. It helped me forget… fer a moment."

"Don't mention it," Scootaloo said with a sad smile. "How about we go to the lake, Bloom. Would ya like that?"

"Yeah," Apple Bloom said. The two trotted over to the lake and sat down. The sun shimmered on the water, causing it to dance. "Right pretty, ain't it?" she said.

"Sure is," Scoots agreed. She gulped and put a foreleg around her friend. Apple Bloom leaned into Scootaloo and began to sob. "It's alright, Apple Bloom. It's alright. S'okay. S'okay. It's alright to cry. You can cry. Shh. Shh, now," Scootaloo said gently. She eased her foreleg off of her friend and hugged her with both front legs. "It's alright, girly. It's alright." She kissed her best friend on top of the head, like a parent would do.

Just then, they heard a squeaky gasp. Sweetie Belle was standing about a foot behind them; they hadn't heard her approach. "You… you…" Sweetie Belle sputtered. "You guys…?"

"I-" Scootaloo started. She didn't stop hugging Apple Bloom, who was still sobbing. "She was sad," she muttered lamely. "Real sad."

Sweetie Bell just glowered. She popped a gumball into her mouth and continued to glare. Suddenly, her cheeks turned beet-red, her eyes bulged, and she made small chocking sounds. Her face began to blue.

"CELESTIA HELP!" Apple Bloom screamed. She jumped up. "She's chockin' to death!"


	6. A Date

Apple Bloom stopped crying and wrapped her forelegs around the sputtering, choking unicorn. "Breathe, girlie!" she shouted with conviction. She did something similar to the Heimlich, practically crushing Sweetie's ribs. "Breathe! Don't die on me!"

Scootaloo stood there, petrified. She was riveted to where she stood, paralyzed with fear. Though she was at odds with Sweetie Belle, she didn't want to watch her die! Finally, she choked out the words, "Don't die, Sweetie!"

With that, the half-chewed wad of bluish-gray gum popped out of the filly's gullet and landed with a barely audible smack on the grassy ground. She collapsed on the grass, chocking in air. She heaved for breath for a solid two minutes until color slowly returned to her lips and face. "Apple Bloom… you saved me," were the first words she managed. "I would've died!" She struggled to her hooves. "Thank you." She looked into her friend's soft sunset-colored eyes.

"No prob," was all Apple Bloom could think to answer.  
Scootaloo watched with strange emotions brewing in her head. Relief for Sweetie's survival, a strange admiration of Apple Bloom's bravery, embarrassment for not being the one to save Sweetie, and… jealousy? _Why am I jealous? _she thought.

XXX

It was a few days after the funeral. Scootaloo was trotted down the dusty dirt road to Apple Bloom's house. She sucked in a deep breath and rapped on the door. Applejack answered it.

"Well, howdy there, Scootaloo!" the southern pony said with gusto, although it looked like she was still mourning.

"Hey," Scootaloo said with an attempt at a smile. "Is Apple Bloom home?"

"Yep," Applejack answered. "Ah'm not sure she'll wanna play, but ah'll check. C'mon in."

Scootaloo walked inside the modest farmhouse. _We're twelve_, she thought, slightly annoyed _We don't "play." We hang out. _She had been lost in her thoughts and didn't realize Applejack had called Apple Bloom down.

"Scootaloo?" Apple Bloom giggled. "You in there?"

"Yeah," Scootaloo blushed. "Um… so… I was wondering if, um… you wanted to er…" She had trailed off, her words muddled.

"Do I wanna 'er um uh' what?" Apple Bloom smirked sarcastically.

"Doyouwannagotothedancewithme ?" Scootaloo blurted. "I mean… as friends. Or… not. I mean, if you don't want to that's fine. That'd be fine. It's just that… a lot of the colts already have dates. Not that it'd be a date-date. Just like a friendly date. I mean… not a date. You know," she finished lamely.

"Sure," Apple Bloom found herself responding. "A lot of the foal'd make fun of us, though."

Scootaloo sighed with relief. "If they do I'll beat 'em up!" she grinned confidently. On an impulse, she reached foreword, pecked Apple Bloom on the cheek, looked stunned, and ran off.

Apple Bloom sat there rubbing her cheek.

"What'd Scoots want?" Applejack asked.

"Ah just got a date to the dance."


	7. Fillyfriends and Realized Affections

_**So, so sorry for the wait, everypony! I've been busy with Hunger Games FanFics and my expert procrastination! As you know, I'm a huge fan of the Apple Bloom X Scootaloo shipping. BTW, sorry for the short chapter. I had to write a chapter for three different Fics today, and I'm tired. Even though I have school, homework, and all my hobbies, I promise to update every Sunday. No sooner and no later. I Pinkie Promise! And don't worry, I'll keep said promise. Because… you know: NOPONY breaks a Pinkie Promise!**_

_** - Novi**_

The two fillies walked into the school together, both blushing furiously. Apple Bloom was wearing a little white frock with short sleeves and a pink hem. Scootaloo was wearing a black T-shirt and a long black skirt. Of course other fillies jeered at them and colts called, "Hey filly-lovers!" over and over.

Apple Bloom found that she didn't care, though. She stood up on two legs and wrapped her forelegs around Scootaloo's shoulders.

"Apple Bloom," Scootaloo said quietly, with a slight note of imploringness in her voice.

"Scoots?" Apple Bloom answered; she had been debating whether or not to lay her head on her friend's shoulder.

"Do… do you wanna be my fillyfriend?" Scootaloo asked softly.

Apple Bloom squealed, "Of course!" and pecked Scootaloo on the cheek. She had no idea where that had come from, but all she knew was that she was as happy as she had ever been.

XXX

Sweetie Belle watched her friends dancing and felt a pang of… jealousy? She had been feeling this way all week. It was like… whenever she saw Apple Bloom, her cheeks would redden and she would feel shy. And as she saw her two friends exchange a quick peck on the cheek, she realized something.

She was in love.

With Apple Bloom.


	8. I HATE you!

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey there, everypony! How ye be? NovemberChild13 here. Just wanted to say "SORR-YYYYY!" for not updating in about a billion years. In return for you, my faithful readers, being so patient, I'm going to make this chapter extra long! :D Enjoy!**

**-Novi**

**XXX**

The bright neon lights of the 50s diner glowed sharply in the night. Inside, the black-and-white checkered floor shone as if freshly polished, and the red vinyl booths were comfortably worn yet shiny and new-looking. It was Ponyville Date Night, and couples young and old were gathered in the 50s diner, aptly named Nostalgia and Eats, to stare dreamily at each other. In one booth, Rainbow Dash and Applejack were having a heated, yet friendly, debate about athletics and holding hooves across the table. In another, Ponyville's favorite DJ, Vinyl Scratch was making fun of her girlfriend, Octavia. A few of the other couples there were: Twilight Sparkle and Big Macintosh, Spike and a filly named Archer, Pipsqueak and Dinky Hooves, Derpy Hooves and Dr. Whooves, Braeburn and Soarin', ect. Many ponies from Cloudsdale to Canterlot, Manehattan to Balimare, were visiting. It was a somewhat famous event.

Featherweight and Sweetie Belle occupied a booth. Featherweight was silently contemplating Sweetie with a dreamy look on his face. It gave her time to study him… and she wasn't happy with the results.

She started at the top, and looked slowly down. He had oversized, floppy ears; an ugly bowl-like mane-cut; bland, boring, brown eyes; a teeny, stubby little snub-muzzle; a tiny mouth; ridiculous jutting buck teeth; a thin, awkwardly tall neck; a skinny, lanky body; and gangly, stilt-like legs. How did these qualities make her gush and giggle only two short weeks ago? she wondered silently. In short, this awkward foal was lanky, gangly, and, well… just plain unattractive.

He gave her his patented goofy, dreamy smile. "This is so nice, Sweetie Belle," he sighed in a blustering, nasal voice. Two other things that irked her: his voice, and his strange refusal to just call her "Sweetie" instead of her full name, "Sweetie Belle."

"Yeah… it's really… nice," Sweetie Belle sighed in her squeaky voice. "You're a good guy, Feather." She cocked her head and made it look as if she were intently studying him, but in fact she was studying a pair of foals at another table. They were sharing a thick pink milkshake and looking dreamily into each other's eyes. She only had eyes for one of the foals that night though. Her eyes devoured every detail of one of the foals. Her large, expressive sunset-colored eyes; her soft licorice-colored mane and tail, her soothingly bright pelt, and… and… everything.

_I'm in love with Apple Bloom_, Sweetie Belle thought. _Just my luck that she's into girls, and yet is dating Scootaloo. Let's see…. I'm in love with Apple Bloom, who is in love with Scootaloo, who is also in love with Apple Bloom, and Featherweight is in love with me! _All of this love triangle (or square) stuff made her want to tear her mane out!

XXX

Scootaloo looked into her fillyfriend's eyes and gave a coy smile. Ugh. _Coy?_ Two weeks ago, she would've put her own eye out for even thinking the word, not to mention applying it to herself! And yet here she was, batting her eyes, smiling _coyly_, and flirting. Not that she was doing it very well, but that didn't matter. What mattered was _who_ she was flirting and coy-ing with.

Aside from the fact that said foal was a girl, it was a girl that had been her best friend, and part of an unbreakable trio for over a year. But now, Scoots noticed that as two-thirds of the trio got closer, one-third began drifting away. Sweetie was getting grumpy, snappish, and generally annoyed with the both of them. But-

"Hey, Tiny-Wings," came the honey-sweet voice of her fillyfriend. She felt a soft knock on her head. "Y'all in there?"

"Yeah, Hayseed," Scootaloo smiled warmly. "I'm here. Sorry, just got distracted. Lost in thought."

"A'right," Apple Bloom shrugged. "Just try to stay in the conversation, girlie. This is couples night, y'hear? Ah can't be with no distracted filly!"

"Alright, alright," Scootaloo chuckled. "I'm back in. I'm back in, I promise. What were we talking about?"

"Nuhthin', at the moment," Apple Bloom drawled lazily. "D'ya wanna order some food? Some real 50s chow?" she gibed good-naturedly.

"Sure!" Scootaloo said, calling a waitress, hanging off the foreleg of her boyfriend, over.

They ordered their food and thoroughly enjoyed the night.

XXX

Sweetie Belle was at home. She was pacing back and forth, nearly wearing a hole in her soft carpet. She was muttering to herself, her face filled with consternation. "What am I gonna do?" she said to herself, her voice going slightly nasal and squeaky as she got more and more stressed. Finally, she stopped pacing and came to a conclusion, her heart racing. "I'm gonna tell Apple Bloom how I feel," she said loudly. Running down the steps, she made it all the way to Sweet Apple Acres in a matter of minutes. She walked up to her friend's humble farmhouse and took a deep breath, knocking on the door and pasting a smile on her face.

The door was opened by Apple Bloom herself, who looked slightly confused for a moment, and then gave her patented huge smile. It nearly made Sweetie's heart melt. "I… I need to talk to you," Sweetie blurted.

"Well then, c'mon in!" Apple Bloom grinned, grabbing her friend's hoof and pulling her up the stairs into her room.

_She's holding my hoof! _Sweetie Belle squealed in her mind. As they got into Apple Bloom's room, Sweetie took a seat on a bean bag and sank in, wondering how many times she had sat in the same purple bean bag. Somehow, it felt different today.

Apple Bloom sat on her bed and leaned against a wall with her hooves behind her head. "What's up, Belle?" she asked.

"I… I need to tell you something," Sweetie Belle stammered. "I know this isn't really the best time, but I… I…." She trailed off realizing how stupid she sounded. Taking a breath for luck, Sweetie said, "So, do you remember how you saved my life at Granny Smith's funeral?"

"Yeah!" Apple Bloom chuckled. "Ah was a'fraid! Ah though you were gonna die! Couldn't have one 'a my best friends die on the same day that m'Granny Smith did," she said, suddenly downcast. "She was a great mare, Sweetie Belle." Tears threatened to come.

"This isn't the direction this was supposed to go!" Sweetie Belle shrieked. Realizing she'd said it aloud, she tried to calm herself. "I… what I mean to say is… ever since that day, things have been different. When I look at you, I'm not just seeing one of my best friends. I'm seeing… somepony I hope to make more than friends with. I… I'm in love with you, Apple Bloom."

Apple Bloom's eyes widened, tears forgotten for the moment. A deep blush spread over her cheeks, and her mouth gaped open. Finally, she managed to stammer out, "Well, that's mighty kind 'a ya, Sweetie Belle."

Sweetie grinned so hard she thought her cheeks would crack. "I'm so glad you feel the same way!" she cried. "I just-"

"Whoa, there partner!" Apple Bloom half-said half-shouted. "Ah never said that! Ah'm datin' Scootaloo, remember? Ah'm in love with _her_, not y'all. Sugar cube, ah'm sure one day a nice ol' mare'll love ya, but ah only have eyes for Scoots. Ah'm glad you told me how you feel, though. That was real brave." She put a foreleg around Sweetie Belle and smiled. "Still friends?"

Sweetie Belle's eyes brimmed with tears. "Friends," she sobbed, and ran away from Sweet Apple Acres, her heart filled with remorse and anger. But it wasn't Apple Bloom she was angry at.

It was Scootaloo.

She ran all the way into town, scanning the skies for Scootaloo. Suddenly, she spotted the afore mentioned pony fluttering in the sky. "Scootaloo!" Sweetie Belle shouted, trying to quiet her sobbing. A few of the older ponies stared at her, realized who she was talking to, and stopped staring. Scoots fluttered down.

"Whoa, Sweetie," she said. "You look terrible."

Sweetie Belle winced and glared, the words coming out of her mouth in a steely voice. "We need to talk. Somewhere where we're alone. _Now._"

"Sure," Scoots answered, surprised. She picked up Sweetie Belle and buzzed them into an alley, sat Sweetie Belle down, and sat on top of a metal garbage can. "What's up?"

"YOU!" Sweetie screamed.

"Huh?" Scoots blurted, shocked. "What did I do?"

"You're keeping Apple Bloom from me!" Sweetie shouted. "I HATE YOU!" With that, she stormed away.

"I need to talk to Bloom," Scoots muttered, and buzzed over to Sweet Apple acres as fast as she could. erHe


	9. The Shortest Chapter Ever

"I don't know. She just said that she hated me. It was weird."

"She confessed that she, well… was in love with me. Ah don't want y'all to be mad. Ah only got eyes for you, Tiny-Wings."

"Shut up, Hayseed. I'm tryin' to think."

The two fillies sat together on Scootaloo's loveseat, thinking over Sweetie Belle's strange behavior. Apple Bloom rolled her eyes at Scootaloo, not offended. She was known for her brusqueness, and it didn't bother her. What did bother her however was that the entire trio had turned into one big love triangle.

Lordie. What was going on?


	10. A Crappy Ending

Well, the time seemed to pass. Hours turned into days, days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months. The Cutie Mark Crusaders split up. Scootaloo eventually got her cutie mark first- a purple tornado with a red lightning bolt cutting through the middle of it. Her wings grew a bit, and she learned to fly better. Apple Bloom got her cutie mark next, a bright red apple with a hammer and a paintbrush next to it. She lost her Sothern accent a bit, and spent more time with Scootaloo.

One day, when they were both twenty years old, Scootaloo proposed. And Apple Bloom said yes.

And Sweetie Belle? She never came to the wedding.

But the two coped. Just as we all do.

But Love.

_Love is a many splendored thing. Love lifts us up where we belong. All you need is love. _

**A/N: Wow. That ending sucked. I'm sorry, everypony. The thing in italics belongs to Moulin Rouge. **


End file.
